Erik Spoelstra on playoff race: Fear the second tier

March 28, 2010|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

MIAMI — Because his team will have to fight to the finish for playoff seeding, Erik Spoelstra is convinced the Heat Miami and the other teams in the second tier of the Eastern Conference will be battled tested come the postseason.

"There's been so much talk out there about any of those top teams not wanting to play a specific team," the Heat coach said Sunday of the tops seeds, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. "I don't think any of those teams want to play any of us, because we are in the battle. We are in the fight.

"It is a scrap every single night and we do have a heightened sense of urgency. That's not going to be decided this week. That's going to go down to the very end, which helps your competitiveness."

Spoelstra said he expects the race to continue through the season finale.

"It's going to go all the way down to the end," Spoelstra said. "It will. You can already tell with Milwaukee, Charlotte and us. And Toronto is still in the picture. But Charlotte's continuing to win and Milwaukee, they were the hottest team in the league."

Mixed message

The Heat found itself in a somewhat odd position Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. It only will receive Toronto's first-round pick this year if the Raptors are in the playoffs. Otherwise, it gets Toronto's second-round pick, with the first-round pick deferred.

"It always is about now with this organization, and it's also about the future," Spoelstra said of the front-office of Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg. "But I don't have to worry about that right now. That's Pat and Andy and all of them."

On-the-job training

Even in the midst of the playoff race, the Heat is working with 10-day additions Kenny Hasbrouck and Alade Aminu in its developmental program, with Aminu, a combo forward out of the NBA Development League, added Saturday.

"That's what we've done over the years," Spoelstra said. "We've done it even when we were good. I mean, the championship year, we were developing guys. And the year after, you saw me on the court with Chris Quinn before and after practice."